(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the method of and the machines for building, repairing, and maintaining levees or dikes or borders. In the cultivation of certain crops it is desired that the land be prepared for flooding by building levees. An example of such agriculture practice is in growing rice. Farmers who levee crop land have ordinary skill in this art.
(2) Description of the Related Art
Before this invention, levee builders were know. For example, the Marliss Division of Sukup Manufacturing Company of Jonesboro, Arkansas build and marketed the xe2x80x9cLevee Kingxe2x80x9d.
The basic form of the levee builders had opposing long moldboards which plowed the earth and moved it to a center position between the two moldboards. The equipment was normally supported primarily by wheels although a portion of the weight was born by the hitch on the tractor. The prior art equipment often had a series of plows which would cultivate the strip that the elongated moldboards had taken the earth from to form the levee. Seed from a hopper was often sewn in this scraped area to be covered by the plows.
The levee builders having moldboards which have been on the market are characterized by being towed behind a tractor. The prior levee builders with moldboards were not mounted upon three-point hitches as are many agriculture implements.
Also, levee builders with disc plows are used to transfer the earth on either side into the levee. Normally such units are lighter in weight and therefore are often attached by three-point hitches to the towing tractor.
Some of the levees are built in fields having gumbo. The gumbo is fine grained silted soils which are heavy and very sticky.
In some cases moldboards are covered with a synthetic material to reduce the adhesion of a sheet of gumbo as it moves across the moldboard.
Some non-elongated moldboards (not used in levee building) have ribs or knives on the plow share or on the moldboard to pulverize the soil. Examples of this specifically include KOCH, U.S. Pat. No. 1,188,184, patented Jun. 20, 1916, DUPLER U.S. Pat. No. 1,297,117 patented Mar. 11, 1919, and BLEDSFORD U.S. Pat. No. 2,153,451 patented Apr. 4, 1939.
(1) Proqressive Contribution to the Art
This invention has two elongated moldboards, each moldboard is about six feet long, two feet from the bottom to the top and has a radius of curvature of about 16 inches. A blade is attached to the bottom of the moldboard for the entire length. Triangular knives are welded to the blade to cut the sheet of gumbo into ribbons. Placing the knives at an angle to the direction of travel, cause the gumbo to break up into lumps. In lighter soil the knives would crumble the soil if used.
The levee builder is attached to the tractor by a conventional three-point hitch. Therefore the depth of the blades may be adjusted by the operator as the levees are being built. Also the moldboards may be lifted from the soil as desired.
Behind and parallel to the tool bar are two shafts. An upper shaft has the plows attached to it. By rotating the shaft the plows are lowered to plow the soil or raised as desired. A lower shaft has a push board attached. Occasionally, the levees are cut. It is necessary that soil be pushed from the sides into the cut to restore the levee. The push board is lowered by rotating the lower shaft into a pushing position. The elongated moldboard are lifted clear of the soil. Therefore the same implement can be converted from a levee builder to a levee maintainer.
(2) Objects of this Invention
An object of this invention is to provide a levee builder which may be used in lighter soils or heavier gumbo.
Another object of this invention is to provide a levee builder with moldboards which may be carried on a three-point hitch giving greater versatility to its movement.
Another object of this invention is to provide a levee builder which may also be used to repair levees with only the manipulation of controls from the operators position on the tractor.
Also an object of this invention is to provide a levee builder which is sufficiently rugged so that it can be used for heavy duty work with minimum repairs to the builder.
A further object is to provide a levee builder which retains all adjustments during hard use and mistreatment.
Further objects are to achieve the above with devices that are sturdy, compact, durable, simple, safe, efficient, versatile, ecologically compatible, energy conserving, and reliable, yet inexpensive and easy to manufacture, operate, and maintain.
Other objects are to achieve the above with a method that is rapid, versatile, ecologically compatible, energy conserving, efficient, and inexpensive, and does not require highly skilled people to operate and maintain.
The specific nature of the invention, as well as other objects, uses, and advantages thereof, will clearly appear from the following description and from the accompanying drawings, the different views of which are not necessarily scale drawings.